Hoping to inspire and encourage those interested in drawing or painting to have-a-go.

Tuesday, 29 May 2018

Rhinoceros

While doing this drawing of a Rhinoceros I had serious doubts about some really bad habits that I've allowed to creep into my technique. Not for the first time I've been very conscious of how much blending I do. I'd go as far as to say I draw more with my tortillions than I do with my pencils. I'm aware that over blending flattens the tooth in the paper and leads to more 'graphite shine' so it's not necessarily a good thing to do to excess. That said, it's become an essential part of how I draw so that raises other questions in my mind, mainly, if the end result is acceptable then how much does the process of how we get there matter? What are your thoughts on Technique versus Results?

I took a photo of this grazing Rhino at the West Midlands Safari Park a couple of years ago with the express purpose of capturing him in graphite, which just goes to show I get there in the end. LOL.

12 comments:

First of all, this drawing is amazing,...how you get there... To me it doesn't matter...just as long as the end result is a success which I think yours is!!!! However, I attend many workshops during the week and most of them don't approve of my blending...which I can understand but this is how I paint...just like they don't approve of my taking a photo of the subject...they would rather see me draw from life. My only answer is..."if I can see clearly I wouldn't use my camera but I LOVE details so there you go!!!! Lol. I love the folds in the fur of this animal....GREAT work, John.

Thank you very much Hilda. You've made me feel a whole lot better about how I approach my work. If 'they' don't approve of your methods given how good your work is then 'they' don't know what they're talking about. ;-)

What a magnificent drawing of this rhino! I do a lot of 'blending' with my watercolours, but too much can take away from the spontaneity of the brushstroke and dull the colours. So I have no answer for you. When it works, it works. :)

I don't think there's a right or wrong way with art, it shouldn't be about ticking other peoples boxes. The rhino is a real wow, John, I could never draw something like that. At the end of the day, you take the risks, pour yourself into your art and if blending is part of a process that produces such a brilliant drawing then it's all worth it and its working

It seems like the question you're asking is really a question you ask yourself? I'm not sure anyone else can answer it. What the rest of us see is a well drawn rhino, especially since we're seeing it online. Keep drawing!

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About Me

I am just an ordinary, happily married, working guy. A few years ago, in my mid-fifties, I was given a book about watercolours for beginners and a basic set of paints. And so it began. Wanting to get some feedback on my paintings I turned to the internet and then, finding little suitable for the beginner, I started my own site. Art, painting, site design, html, php, css ... one way or another it's been a fabulous learning curve and several years later I still consider myself a raw beginner.